24-pounds big. That's how much Velveeta weighs. She is an overweight cat that we started fostering this week. The shelter was in a quandary over what to do about Velveeta. When she was kept in the cat room with the other cats, she would sit on top of the food and not let the other cats eat it, obviously so she could eat it all herself. When they put her in a cage so they could control her portions, there was no room for her to get any exercise. For the past few weeks, the shelter kept asking for a foster family, but no one had stepped up.
My daughters have been missing our cat Angie, who passed away last February. When I mentioned the idea of fostering Velveeta, they didn't hesitate for a second. Tiny kittens may be adorable, but these girls are all about helping the underdog...or undercat, in this case.
Velveeta is no shrinking violet. It only took her about a day to come out from hiding under one of our beds. Since then, she has surprised us with her ability to get around. Despite her enormous size, she can squeeze into some tight spots. She can climb the stairs, and to my amazement, she even jumped on top of our piano!!
I don't think Velveeta was an outdoor cat before because when we first brought her outside, she ran right back in! But our backyard is enclosed with 6' high fences, and because we need to encourage her to exercise as much as possible, we will take her on "outings" when we are able to supervise her (she's already surprised me with her nimbleness, so who knows, she might be able to climb our fence).
Velveeta is a very pretty cat and super sweet. Even when I've had to perform unpleasant but necessary tasks on her, she never scratches me. She did hiss at Cabana once to tell her to keep her distance, and Cabana, ever respectful, has complied.
I don't know how long it will take for Velveeta to lose enough weight to be adopted. A healthy cat weighs between 8-10 pounds, so she is 2-3 times as big as she should be, and her stomach is just shy of dragging the ground. If you'd like to follow her progress, I've started a
Facebook page for her. Hope you'll "like" it and root Velveeta on to a healthier life and a wonderful new home!
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